You are not alone

Kate Winslet, Ralph Fiennes, and David Kross (he is so cute!) today in Berlin at a presser for The Reader.

Have you seen it yet? It’s worth seeing, not only because Harvey campaigned so hard it took away The Dark Knight’s spot for Best Picture nomination, but because it’s a thought provoking, decent film. The kind of film that stays with you. You might be angry, you might be horrified, you might be insulted, you might feel despondent…

But it must be said. Out loud. So that none of us feel like we’re all alone.

You are not alone.

The Reader – SPOILER! – centres on Michael played by David Kross who meets Hanna (Kate Winslet) when he’s 15 and she’s 35. OK, totally like gross. Right?

David by the way is 18. They had to halt production part way through before shooting the sex scenes until his birthday passed.

As you may know, I have an age problem with attraction. For some reason, lately I keep crushing on infants. Like Hunter Parrish and Michael Phelps. Needless to say, David Kross did not escape unnoticed. After seeing the movie, I just chalked it up to my own perversion.

But I went with Fiona. And I couldn’t resist asking her – so, um, did you think that kid was hot?

And she did.

And then my producer Jennifer B was shooting a segment for Oscar predictions and we got to talking about The Reader and I was like – yeah so I was all over that kid. It’s so wrong, and obviously not as a 15 year old, but I know he’s 18 so, I don’t know, I couldn’t summon the sickness over her seduction of him the way you’re supposed to. What’s wrong with me?

But Jen agreed too.

And this is OK. Because this is how the film unfolded. It’s not the naked beautiful boy in every frame of the first 15 minutes, it was the chemistry that simmered between Kross and Kate that fuels the feeling. I totally believed that chemistry. I totally bought that he carried that chemistry with him his entire life, rendering him incapable of loving any other, even his daughter, as much as he loved Hanna. Age for some reason became irrelevant.

Kate Winslet herself has defended the relationship against charges of impropriety against her character. I don’t know if I’m quite ready to take her stance. He was, after all, only 15.

I am ready though to tell you that if you found yourself attracted to David Kross, and only David Kross in the movie and not a blanket statement on 15 or 18 year olds before the sanctimonious MiniVan comes huffing and puffing along… however they may judge you, I will not judge you.